The End Of The World As We Know It And I Feel Fine
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Tuesday, December 16, 2008

How to store grain

Well things have been very, very busy for me at work. I've been dialed into the job from home too, so no time to post. Sorry about that. I did get in my FoodSaver, and it is SWEET. I also took the time last night to pack the last of my grain up for storage. I'm going to go over exactly how I did it for you, so there is no excuse not to do this yourself.

1) OK the first step is to collect up your gear. You need an iron set on "cotton", a thick oversize paperback book, mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, buckets with lids, and your grain. I'm using the homer buckets because I ate plenty of "wall candy" as a kid, and I am gambling the releasing agents won't eat through the mylar and spoil my grain.

2) Then put a mylar bag in the bucket and fill it to about 1 1/2" below the top.

3) Pull up the mylar and fold it back and forth so you have a nice flat area with no creases. Work out the air pockets in the bottom of the bag while you are at it. You might be able to get more grain in, or have to take some out to get it right.

4) Get as many buckets in this ready position as you can, because once you open the O2 absorbers you don't want to dilly-dally. The longer they are exposed to air, the less O2 they will absorb.

5) Crack open the package of absorbers and put the correct amount in each bucket. I stuff them in different depths and sides to try to maximize their effectiveness. Just remember to take them out before you put the grain in the grinder! I sealed my extra o2 absorbers in a FoodSaver bag as soon as I pulled the ones I needed out.

6) I couldn't snap a photo of the next step as I have yet to grow a third arm, guess I need to eat more wall candy. With the book on one side and the iron on the other, you iron a seam about 1 1/2" wide across the top, leaving a gap so you get the air out. I let that one cool and go down the line of buckets so the first one is cooled off for the next step.

7) Start folding the mylar into the bucket, trying not to manhandle it too much and punch holes in it. After getting as much air out as you can, use your book and iron to seal the last bit you left open.

8) Fold the last of the mylar bag into the bucket and snap on the lid.

9) Finally LABEL IT. What's in it, and when it was packaged. Then store it in a cool, dry spot.

I used my FoodSaver to seal some of the extra corn I couldn't fit into the buckets into bags. I labeled these and put them in the Galvanized trash can with the two full mylar bags I had in there. There is no chance of light getting in there so that's good enough for me.

2 comments:

I'm totally printing this post out! I just bought a 50 pound bag of whole wheat, and will be packing it up when I get home after the holiday travel madness. Thanks so much for the easy to follow explanations!